Biodiversity in Agriculture : Sustainability of Soil, Soil Fauna and Soil Flora

This book begins with the principal subject of biodiversity in agriculture. The onslaught of highly soil extractive chemical farming, euphemistically called the “green revolution”, has taken a heavy toll on soil biodiversity, hence, soil sustenance. Agrobiodiversity is a key resource for humanity. All of the food requirements humanity depends on are met by agrobiodiversity. Similarly, fodder fiber, firewood, and many other basic needs of humankind are also met by agrobiodiversity. The book puts forward ideas on how we are to develop a sustainable future, to provide a healthy and thriving environment for humanity by protecting, conserving, and augmenting agrobiodiversity. The pedosphere, the outermost layer of the Earth, composed of soil and subject to soil formation processes, is an integral component of biosphere, lying on the interface of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere and a lot more complex in its physicochemical and biological characteristics and functioning and quite distinguishable from that of the above soil-surface terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The biotic component of the pedosphere comprises a rich biodiversity of living species, dominated by microorganisms. This book considers and discusses the influences of soil formation processes. This book will be of interest to those engaged in researching biodiversity, agriculture, and crop science. Preface 7 References 9 Contents 10 1 Introduction 13 How Can One Define Biodiversity? 13 What Are the Levels of Biodiversity? 14 What Are the Gradients of Biodiversity? 18 The Effect of Latitude on Biodiversity 18 The Effect of Altitudes on Biodiversity 19 What Are the Values of Biodiversity? 19 Which Are the Sources of Food? 20 Production of Drugs and Medicines 20 Which Are the Cultural and Aesthetic Values? 21 What is the Existence Value? 21 What is the Bequest Value? 22 What is Option Value? 22 What Are Ecosystem Services? 23 References 24 2 Agrobiodiversity 25 What is the Difference Between Biodiversity and Agrobiodiversity? 25 Traditional Agriculture 26 The “Green Revolution” Agriculture—What Are Its Implications? 27 What Were the Consequences? 27 What is the LPG Agriculture? 28 The Biodiversity—Food Production Link 30 What is the Role of Agriculture in a Sustainable Future? 33 A Pyramidal Concept of Agriculture Vis-á-Vis the Future of Humanity 34 Mountain Agroecosystem—What Are Its Characteristics/Specificities? 35 Comparison of Mountain Agriculture and Mainstream Agriculture 36 Diversity of Agroecosystem 37 The Uncultivated Land 39 The Cultivated Land 40 The Livestock Scenario 41 Household Scenario 42 The Relevance of the Crop Wild Relatives (CWRs) in Mountain Agriculture 43 The Relevance of CWRs in the Curet Situation of Global Warming 43 References 46 3 Biodiversity of the Pedosphere 47 What is the Pedosphere? 47 What is Pedodiversity? 48 The Invisible Biodiversity 49 The Soil Flora 50 The Soil Microflora 50 The Soil Macroflora 53 The Soil Fauna 53 The Soil Microfauna 53 The Soil Mesofauna 54 The Soil Macrofauna 54 The Soil Megafauna 55 What is the “Erosion of Soil Biodiversity”? 55 How to Conserve Soil Biodiversity? 56 References 57 4 Chemosynthesis-Based Community Bio Diversity 58 Which Are the Two Types of Living Communities? 58 The Communities Based on Photosynthesis 58 The Communities Based on Chemosysnthesis 59 Hydrothermal Vent Ecosystems and Their Biodiversity 61 What Are the Threats to the Chemosynthesis-Based Biodiversity? 63 Words International Obligations 64 References 66 5 Which Are the Threats to Biodiversity? It’s Conservation and Sustainability 67 How Are Habitats Destroyed? 67 How Does Habitat Fragmentation Take Place? 69 Exotic Species—Their Introduction 69 The Hazards of Hunting and Overexploitation 71 The Hazards of Poaching and Smuggling 71 The Hazards in Agriculture 71 The Hazard of Environmental Pollution 72 The Cycle of Man-Wildlife Conflict 73 How to Avert Man-Wildlife Conflicts? 73 Species Extinction 74 What Are the Causes/Reasons for Extinction? 75 How Susceptible Are Species for Extinction? 77 Biodiversity Conservation 78 What Are the Strategies for Biodiversity Conservation? 80 In-situ Strategies of Biodiversity Conservation 80 What Are the Protected Areas? 81 What is a Biosphere Reserve? 85 The Sacred Forests or Groves 89 The Sacred Lakes 92 The Ex-situ Conservation 93 The Gene Bank 93 The Technique of Cryopreservation 93 The Botanical Gardens 94 The Animal Zoos 95 What About the “Hotspots” of Biodiversity? 95 Which Are the “Megadiverse” Countries? 96 What Are the Efforts for Biodiversity Conservation Done Internationally? 98 Biodiversity and Sustainability 99 A Vital Dimension of Sustainability 100 How Does Biodiversity Connect with Sustainability? 101 The Contrasting Features of Natural and Anthropogenic Ecosystems 103 What Are the Biodiversity-Based Sustainability Principles? 105 What is Soil Biodiversity? 105 The Biodiversity on the Surface of the Soil 106 The Nutrient Cycles 106 How Do We Manage Sustainability? 108 What Are the Salient Aspects of Human Management Aimed to Sustain Biodiversity? 109 References 110